The People's Court of Yinan County, in east China's Shandong Province,
Thursday sentenced Chen Guangcheng to four years and three months in prison on
charges of willfully damaging property and organizing a mob to disturb traffic.

Chen Guangcheng.
[AP]

The sentence was passed in a public court session.

Xinhua was provided with a document by the court that provided only the
following details of the proceedings.

The document says, Chen was upset with workers who were sent to carry out
poverty-relief programs in East Shigu Village, in Shuanghou Town of Yinan
County.

It says on February 5, 2006, Chen (who is known to be blind) rushed to the
office of the village committee and damaged doors and windows. The court
document says Chen was given guidance by his wife Li Weijing and others.
Following this incident, the court document says Chen then went to the home of
Chen Guangyu and instigated Chen Guanghe, Chen Guangdong and Chen Gengjiang to
damage and smash cars belonging to the Shuanghou Police Station and the town
government.

The court document does not indicate if any of the other individuals had been
charged or convicted.

The court document says Chen Guanghe and Chen Guangdong also instigated other
villagers to damage government cars, and they chased and beat officials from the
town government.

Using clubs and stones, the mob smashed the windows of three cars from the
police station and the town government, overturned the cars in roadside ditches,
and beat police officers from the Police Bureau of the county, according to the
document.

It goes on to say that on the evening of March 11, Chen Guangyu, who was then
drunk, claimed he was beaten by some people, and he attacked the office of the
village committee and damaged things in the office.

Later, at about 6:00 pm, according to the document, Chen Guangcheng organized
a group of people, including Chen Guangyu, Chen Guangjun and Yuan Weijing, under
the excuse of seeking justice for Chen Guangyu. They interrupted traffic in the
Yinghou Village section of the National Highway 205.

The document says Chen Guangcheng stood in the middle of the road to stop
vehicles and directed the mob, including Chen Guangjun and Chen Guangyu to yell
out and stop traffic.

It goes on that police arrived to reopen the road, and to try to persuade
Chen Guangcheng to desist from leading the mob and stopping the traffic. Chen
refused to comply and continued to direct the mob to block vehicles.

The document says the mob stopped the traffic for three hours and delayed
more than 290 vehicles, including an ambulance carrying a pregnant woman to
hospital.

The court document says Chen's rights were completely protected, and his two
lawyers expressed their views in full.